Portsmouth’s bid for a fourth straight trip to the championship game ended with a 3-2 semi-final loss in double overtime to the Blackstone Valley Schools Co-op  (BVS) on Wednesday evening at Schneider Arena.

After trading goals in the first period, the Patriots took the lead late in the second period.  Kane Brule scored Portsmouth’s first goal while Hadrian Dougherty had the second tally to put the team ahead 2-1.That lead held until five minutes remained in regulation time in the third period when BVs scored to tie the game for the second time. With no further scoring the game headed into overtime.

The overtime rules are a little different in the playoffs from the regula season.  It is still a sudden death set-up where the first team to score a goal wins, but there are up to three periods of overtime if necessary and each is seven and a half minutes long.  In the first overtime period the teams skate five on five, the second is four on four, and the third is three on three.

The teams played each other through to the second overtime period before BVS scored with 48 seconds left on the clock. 

Portsmouth outshot BVS 50-21 in the game  PHS goalie Ben Humm had 18 saves in the loss.  The Patriots goals were scored on two of the team’s five power play opportunities.  The team was successful in not allowing a goal on five penalty kills.